tormented 1 of 2

adjective

as in tortured

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tormented

2 of 2

verb

past tense of torment
as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to he was tormented by nightmares about the accident

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tormented
Verb
Their absence clearly tormented him, but his total dependence on Sara seemed to embarrass him, too. — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 13 July 2026 The three-paragraph note compared Lyons to a Nazi and predicted that Lyons would be tormented by his own conscience. — Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 6 July 2026 Tournament favorites France, for example, have so thoroughly taunted and tormented their opponents that anything short of the final would seem an injustice at this point. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 30 June 2026 The Gold Glove third baseman tormented them for years with the Colorado Rockies, and it’s been no different with the Diamondbacks. — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 30 June 2026 In that movie, Depp played a young woman who is tormented after vampire Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) becomes obsessed with her. — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 29 June 2026 Alex Freeman tormented his opponents in Seattle on Friday, 30 years after his famous dad did the same. — David Close, CNN Money, 20 June 2026 We have been tormented by the cost of electricity for decades. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2026 In recent years, Trae Young has repeatedly tormented the Knicks at the famed Madison Square Garden, turning clutch shots and postgame showmanship into vulgar chants from New York fans. — Chantz Martin Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tormented
  1. tortured
  2. plagued
  3. frustrated
  4. persecuted
  5. harassed
  6. afflicted
  7. harried
  8. besieged
Adjective
  • It’s held together beautifully by Bailey, who’s easy to root for as the tortured protagonist, and, as one half (along with her sister) of the musical duo Chloe x Halle, knows a thing or two about the musician’s plight.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 26 June 2026
  • Superman pops in for a couple of cute scenes along the way, while another DC side character, the alien and bounty hunter Lobo (Jason Momoa), appears as a tortured bit of universe-building.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026
Definition of tortured
Verb
  • Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey follows the incredible journey of King Odysseus back to his kingdom of Ithaca, plagued by mythical perils along the way.
    — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 13 July 2026
  • That’s a far cry from the financial troubles that plagued the club more than two decades ago.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 13 July 2026
Definition of plagued
Adjective
  • Unemployment remains above 30%, making migrants easy political targets for frustrated communities and opportunistic actors.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 10 July 2026
  • Most frustrated of all are the people tasked with policing the takeovers.
    — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
Definition of frustrated
Verb
  • The Washington Principles also recognize that many sales of artwork by Jews during the Nazi era occurred while they were being persecuted, or under duress.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 29 June 2026
  • Representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine have been persecuted.
    — Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Definition of persecuted
Adjective
  • Others were placed under house arrest, harassed or subject to extensive surveillance, or had their passports confiscated, according to prior NPR reporting and the findings of the United Nations and rights groups.
    — Emily Feng, NPR, 17 May 2026
  • For years, Christian clergy who live and work in Jerusalem have reported being frequently spat on, harassed and even physically attacked by Israeli extremists.
    — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 1 May 2026
Definition of harassed
Verb
  • The afflicted slowly lose their ability to walk, talk, eat, dress, write, swallow and, eventually, breathe.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
  • Jude, meanwhile, was shifting from tossing cones to tugging at his ears, afflicted with the same malady that had landed several of the toddlers on the room’s version of the injury list.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 June 2026
Definition of afflicted
Adjective
  • The confluence of those problems lead to a harried, chew-your-fingernails night for all the star players in this final season.
    — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
  • There appears to be some confusion about what roads near the Garden will or could be closed down for the Friday gathering — a situation made all the more harried by the proximity of Penn Station, ongoing FIFA World Cup tourism and seen-it-all NYC being NYC leaning into the July 4 shindig.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 June 2026
Definition of harried
Verb
  • After word spread that a local attorney was starting a class action, residents said they were besieged by out-of-town lawyers competing aggressively for their business.
    — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
  • Boston was besieged by the Tartan Army.
    — Becky Sullivan, NPR, 28 June 2026
Definition of besieged

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Cite this Entry

“Tormented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tormented. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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